Defense presents case in trial of former Southlake coach accused in teen's drowning

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The defense began presenting its case in the trial of a former Southlake swim coach accused of neglect in the death of a swim team member.

The state rested its case early Wednesday afternoon. The defense started with a high school senior who was at practice the morning her teammate drowned in June 2016.

Tracey Anne Boyd was an assistant swim coach at the Carroll ISD Aquatics Center. She’s charged with abandonment and endangering a child by criminal negligence.

Prosecutors contend Boyd was out of position to watch 13-year-old Elise Cerami and other swimmers she was responsible for supervising.

Defense attorneys presented testimony from a teammate who was swimming one lane over when she saw Elise at the bottom of the pool. She told the jury she looked up and called for the coaches and saw moments later the head coach and other swimmers trying to help her.

Prosecutors on Tuesday played surveillance video from a motion-activated camera that shows Boyd did not appear on video until roughly nine minutes after Elise was spotted underwater.

Prosecutors say Boyd was at the opposite end of the pool and not in a place where she could not have seen the 13-year-old become distressed and go to the bottom.